Over the past few years Kansas Wesleyan University’s electronic equipment for the communication department has been somewhat old-fashioned. Recently, the school has shown drastic improvements by upgrading the equipment for the students to be able to get proper hands on professional training. Now our school can compete on a National stage with other high profile schools. I interviewed instructor Paul Green and this is what he had to say about the technological advancements at KWU.

Mr. Paul Green said that the  school became more motivated because, “Communication is converging and is getting more technologically dependent and students needed the opportunity to work with modern day technology. A writer is not only going to have to know how to write, he is going to have to know audio and video production. Communication is starting to become a technological driven discipline.” Green also stated that some of the steps taken towards these goals are based on the equipment that is now available for the students. “We have four Macintosh computers loaded with the latest software on audio and video and video editing. We have a brand new television studio with a portable studio environment and all digital equipment. Most importantly, we have a new member on staff named Jack Morris, who brings decades worth of writing and pre-production experience. “ We also have new equipment starting with new cameras we have are the Cannon XL 2 video cameras which allow producer to shoot in 16x9 formats for wide screen videos and 4x3 formats for standard television.”

Kansas Weselyan produce a couple of different T.V. shows. The first half of the semester is for pre production work, we run a half hour show that runs every week that is called "All Access." This is a show that focuses on the arts and humanities. Also a new full feature length film program called “Cinema Chills” which is run by a couple of our students at Kansas Wesleyan where we take a full featured movie and make a television program out of it. We also do all of the home football games, and we are also doing a big program called “The Magic Flute” which is produced by the orchestra in Salina and the Drama department.” “We encourage our students to get a membership at the access center and I have already had people volunteer time at Community Access. I normally have my students spend a number of hours at Community Access, because it is the best way to learn. You can only learn so much in a class room, you have to get your hands on the equipment at a live television center.”  “The biggest advantage a student can have by working hand and hand with the cable studio is a student can go and produce what ever he wants. Most of the other places will not allow you to have the creativity that an access station will allow you to have. This is the only place that if a student wants to shoot a drama, he can shoot a drama. If you want to shoot a comedy you can shoot a comedy. You can be as creative as you want at a public access television center. Students are having to properly prepare themselves for graduate work in live studios. Every student has to produce, you can’t get out of college and have your head in a book and then expect to participate actively in a career in communications. “You have to communicate and you have to use and be familiar with the newest technology." 

5 years from now Green enivisions the communication department getting bigger and the number of students increasing that enrolls for a communications degree. I see us staying up-to-date with the newest technology available. I see communications becoming more and more important. Without communications we are not able to communicate worthwhile with each other and I see people realizing that in the near future.” Some of the steps that Mr. Green feels needs to be taken in order to get to the next level is keeping your eye on is the continual improvement in computer technology. Things like Facebook and Myspace and You tube which recently sold for 1.6 billion dollars. Those types of computer forms of electronic communications are becoming businesses and that is what is going to drive us forward.

All in all, I felt like my interview with Paul Green was extremely informative and he showed me a positive side of where he and the school wants to take Kansas Wesleyan’s communication department. I learned a lot of encouraging things about the steps that are being taken in order to get the school’s department as a credible as it can be. In conclusion, I would like to thank Mr. Paul Green for his time for the interview, and Kansas Wesleyan University for showing its willingness, and candidness to improve a degree program that is moving forward in its path to success.